Ascend is the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee and one of the largest credit unions in the United States, with approximately $2.5 billion in assets.  With an occupation-based field of membership, Ascend is focused on the expansion and diversification of the select employee groups it serves, which creates greater security for the credit union and its member-owners.  Approximately 650 employees serve more than 207,000 members from 28 Middle Tennessee locations and the Corporate Headquarters. 

Ascend recognizes that its employees are critical to the credit union's sustained success and future growth. Our employees are the face of the credit union and their personal successes fuel the success of the team. Through collaboration between employees, management, our membership and our Board, we fuel an engine that propels the credit union forward.

IT Executive responsible for the effective delivery and management of critical business application software that enables the acquisition and servicing of all credit union products and financial transaction processing.  Direct responsibility for cost-effective vendor application acquisition and management, and for ensuring that servicing SLAs are met.  Direct responsibility for all in-house, custom software development and product application support activities.  Also responsible for the effective development and delivery of Ascend's enterprise data warehouse and business intelligence platform.

Work with the Chief Information Officer to develop and deliver an effective Strategic IT Plan, with an emphasis on effective in-house and vendor-developed software applications to accomplish company objectives.
• Substantially contribute to the IT executive management team, offering industry best practices, efficient operational planning and delivery, and innovative thought leadership.
• Develop and adhere to an effective business application budget sufficient to execute the IT Strategic Plan while and maintaining continuous business operations.
• Develop and maintain a software asset inventory to track and mitigate the risks software assets that are approaching end of life status.
• Responsible for the management and oversight of software developers and analysts responsible for application development, testing, and implementation of a multi-channel strategy (web, mobile, Tablet, IVR, voice-enabled assistants, etc.).
• Recruit, develop and retain an excellent IT staff that enables exceptional member experience through technology delivery.
• Develop an optimal organizational structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, including mentoring and career development of software development personnel.
• Develop and enforce appropriate policies, procedures, and resource management practices.
• Direct the development and support of critical business applications, delivering 24x7x365 systems availability through effective monitoring, return to service, and problem resolution.
• Establish strong working relationships with senior business and technology leaders to define and own the strategic application roadmap that will enable the credit union to deliver its mission.
• Establish and lead a software development strategy with a balance of in-house and cloud-based offerings, capabilities, and challenges (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google).
• Lead and direct the development and support of effective Web applications utilizing technologies such as Java, JavaScript, C#, .Net, HTTP, REST, React/Redux, JSON, and API development.

• Four year college degree in Business, Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum ten to twelve years of related work experience.
• Minimum of five years of experience in a senior IT leadership role with at least three years as an IT executive leading software development teams.
• Minimum of three years of experience working with executive leadership in technology strategy development and execution.
• A high degree of poise and tact to represent the credit union positively in outside contacts and with employees.
• Regular and reliable attendance is required.
• Possession of a valid, unrestricted driver's license.

• Master's degree in Business, Computer Science, or Information Technology.
• 3 -5 years of banking and/or credit union industry experience with expertise in FinTech (Financial Technology).
• Experience with federal banking and credit union regulatory agencies and how to remain compliant while still delivering strategic capabilities and business value.